What Are the Best 4th of July Car Deals on the Most American Cars?
The only thing more American than fireworks, grilled grub and glorifying car culture on the Fourth of July is celebrating all such things at a discount. In the spirit of Uncle Sam, we took a closer look at Cars.com’s 2020 American-Made Index — a list of vehicles ranked by various metrics for their economic contributions — to examine the top-ranked vehicles on which your dollar can score some savings. Given the range of pricing options, brands and body styles, it’s no surprise the answers vary greatly.
Related: The Cars.com 2020 American-Made Index: Which Cars Are Most American?
If getting a good deal on the usual suspects of recent monthly deals stories simply doesn’t meet your patriotic-car bar this Independence Day, keep reading for details on the deals that exist (as well as those that don’t) for this year’s top American-made vehicles.
Ford Ranger
- Factory discount: $1,000 on all trims
- Price after discounts: $24,605 to $47,710
- Approximate factory savings: 2-4%
- Financing: 0% for 60 months or 6.9% for 84 months
Thanks in large part to a shift in engine sourcing, the Ranger ended atop of the AMI heap this year. Now through July 6, Ford is offering a grand off all trim levels of the latest Ranger, which in ascending order are the XL, XLT and Lariat. Alternately, qualified shoppers can find discount financing either at 0% for 60 months or 6.9% for 84 months.
Jeep Cherokee
- Factory discount: $2,500 on all trim levels
- Price after discounts: $24,835 to $44,530
- Approximate factory savings: 5-9%
- Financing: 0% for 72 months with no payments for 90 days or 0% for 36 months
Assembled in Belvidere, Ill., the Jeep Cherokee has frequented the sharp end of the AMI recently, ending 2020 at No. 2 after two years atop the order. Happily for deal seekers, the Cherokee also frequented our monthly deals stories, and Jeep parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has more in store for an SUV that spent an average of 122 days on dealer lots in May. Now through June 30, Jeep is offering $2,500 off all trim levels, with additional savings as great as $1,250 off if you finance through FCA’s finance arm. As part of a Fourth of July promotion (that, somewhat bafflingly, also only runs through the end of June), FCA is offering financing at 0% for up to 72 months, and those in Pennsylvania and Maine can combine that with deferred payments for 90 days. Otherwise, 0% financing for 36 months is the current incentive for qualified buyers with up to $1,250, depending on market.
Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model X
- Factory discount: N/A
- Price after discounts: N/A
- Approximate factory savings: N/A
- Financing: N/A
The advantages of Tesla’s “no haggle” — well, mostly — sales approach are obvious: You can know pretty much what you pay from the moment you walk into any one of the California automaker’s showrooms, and there won’t be much in the way of negotiation. The disadvantages are the same: There’s almost no opportunity to angle for a deal on the Model S and Model 3 sedans, or the Model X SUV. Short of Tesla adjusting pricing on the fly, which has been known to happen, don’t expect to see cash-back or financing offers on the AMI’s third, fourth and ninth-ranked vehicles anytime soon.
Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Passport
- Factory discount: N/A
- Price after discounts: N/A
- Approximate factory savings: N/A
- Financing: 0.9% for up to 60 months or 1.9% for up to 72 months (Odyssey); 1.9% for up to 60 months or 2.9% for up to 72 months (Ridgeline, Passport)
Like Tesla, it’s well nigh impossible to find a factory discount or cash-back offer on a Honda car, truck or SUV no matter how fast they sell (the Ridgeline was on lots an average of 64 days in May, the Passport 84 days). However, loyalty cash for current Honda owners in the market for a 2020 Odyssey minivan (which spent 106 days on lots) can benefit from just such an incentive: Provided you own a Honda of model-year 2010 or newer vintage, the automaker is offering $1,000 off all trims of the Odyssey, with no trade-in required. Such trims are the LX, EX, EX-L, Touring and Elite. The offer expires July 6.
Though cash back may not be common, one thing the Japanese automaker does consistently offer are discount financing options. In the case of the Odyssey, Ridgeline and Passport — clustered together in the 2020 AMI rankings at Nos. 5, 6 and 7, respectively — financing options are similar: Creditworthy shoppers can get 0.9% for up to 60 months or 1.9% for up to 72 months on the Odyssey; for the Ridgeline and Passport, identical offers of 1.9% for up to 60 months or 2.9% for up to 72 months are available. All such offers expire July 6.
Chevrolet Corvette
- Factory discount: N/A
- Price after discounts: N/A
- Approximate factory savings: N/A
- Financing: N/A
One of America’s most iconic nameplates and our No. 8 entrant on the AMI got a radical redesign for its eighth generation, moving to a mid-engine layout for 2020. Perks exist beyond mere performance: You can still buy a bottom-shelf Corvette Stingray 1LT for less than $60,000. By the first-hand accounts of our staff thus far, that’s well worth the 490-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8, dual-clutch automatic transmission, 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds and decent fuel mileage you get in return. The downside for deal hunters is that the Bow-Tie brand’s sports car is out of the question: Due to both demand and production delays, there are no factory-backed deals presently on offer.
If the price just isn’t enough to tempt you — or the mid-engine layout doesn’t strike your fancy — might we instead suggest Cars.com’s No. 5 ranked vehicle on the 2019 AMI … the Chevrolet Corvette? If you’re interested in a 2019 model, Chevy is currently advertising $3,250 off the base model or 0% financing for up to 72 months for qualified buyers through June 30. And though Chevrolet’s consumer website lists no deals for the Grand Sport, Z06 or ZR1, it does suggest you locate a dealer to learn about offers. Who knows what luck you might have with a gold-standard Vette if you just ask?
Chevrolet Colorado
- Factory discount: $3,000, excluding base trim
- Price after discounts: $22,995 to $55,395
- Approximate factory savings: 5-12%
- Financing: N/A
Rounding out the 2020 AMI’s top 10 is the Chevrolet Colorado, a mid-size pickup assembled in Wentzville, Mo., that competes with the top-ranked Ranger and averaged 98 days on dealer lots in May. Now through June 30, Chevy is offering $3,000 off all trim levels but the base trim, which makes for the largest percentage discount off of any top AMI vehicle. Unfortunately, Chevrolet posted no discount financing options unless you’re looking to lease one, so the cash-back offer will have to do unless you’re up for some aggressive on-the-ground haggling.
More From Cars.com:
- How to Win the Car Financing Game
- Understanding Factory-to-Dealer Incentives
- Glossary of Car Leasing Terms
- How Does Leasing a Car Work?
- We Bought a Hyundai Palisade: Here’s How Much We Paid
How We Look for Deals
To look for AMI-related deals, we eschewed our typical method of examining days-to-sell data for slow sellers and instead concentrated on the 2020 AMI top 10. Then we looked at factory cash discounts and low-interest-rate financing offers for the price of each car.
Incentives data come from automakers’ websites. Remember, our numbers are current as of publication for the markets we survey (generally Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York). They reflect advertised customer discounts, not unadvertised factory-to-dealer cash. Discount financing typically requires qualifying credit, too, and incentives may vary by region and trim level; automakers may also change them later in the month. In sum: Your discounts may vary, so check with your local dealer for specifics.
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